


The Teague's

by FFanon



Category: Mob City
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family, Fluff, Joe Teague is a father!, Other, Pregnancy, Romance, three daughters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-01-05 15:02:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12192210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFanon/pseuds/FFanon
Summary: A collection of fics where Joe is a dad.  I imagine Joe being a dad to three girls, so that's how they're written.  The fics are not in any order and they touch on various topics of fatherhood, including trying to conceive.





	1. Best Part of My Life

 

 

You found out you were pregnant with Anna a week before Father’s Day. It took every fiber of your being not to confess the news to Joe in that week because you wanted to tell him on that special day.

 

It was the morning of and Joe was kissing your shoulder, then your neck, in an attempt to wake you up. When you snuggled your face into the pillow with a small groan, you felt him smile against your skin before his hand was gripping your chin softly.

 

He felt you smirk as you let him turn your face, you voluntarily rolling onto your back to look up at him. You lay your arm on the pillow above your head, and rest your hand on your stomach; with a sleepy smile, “Hi.”

 

When he leans down, you smile big and wrap both arms around his neck.  

 

His lips brush against yours as he repeats your sentiment, then he’s kissing you.  Your heart is racing as you anticipate your next move. You push his chest gently making him pull away.

 

“I have something for you.”

 

“Yeah? I bet I’m gonna love it,” and he kisses you again as his hand slides under your nightie to cup your breast.

 

Giggling against his mouth, you pull your head back, “Not that, Joe. Well, not right now at least.”

 

He chuckles and rolls to his side, elbow bent and his head propped up on his hand.  You sit up, lean down to kiss him quick, then lean to your other side to open the drawer of your nightstand.  

 

As you reach your hand in, you smile to yourself when you feel Joe’s hand caressing your thigh.  You grab what you’re looking for and sit back up.

 

You hold up a blank green envelope.

 

“A card?” and you swear you see him start quickly thinking if he’s forgotten an anniversary of some sort.

 

“Just something I thought you’d enjoy,” and you try not to smile like a goof.

 

He raises an eyebrow at you, paired with a smirk, and lays back, opening the card above his face.

 

_Happy Father’s Day!_  The front reads. And you watch the look of initial confusion slowly melt away when he opens it.

 

_Lucky to have you as my husband, even luckier to have our child call you Dad._

 

He sits up in an instant, tears in his eyes but a smile on his face; a smile that you can tell is waiting to get bigger.

 

He puts the card down on the sheets and grasps your face, “You’re pregnant?” his smile slowly getting bigger as he waits for the final confirmation.

 

You feel your own happy tears well up and a smile as big as his. You nod, “I’m pregnant!” And it feels so good to finally say it out loud to him.

 

He kisses you hard in excitement, then pulls away to smooth his hand along the side of your head, “I love you, sweetheart, so much,” that smile never wavering.

 

“I love you too,” you laugh at his excitement and your own.

 

He kisses you, then slides his hand under your nightie again, but this time to put his hand on your stomach.

 

“Our baby is in here,” he says in quiet awe. And his whole wonderment makes your heart swell. You nod slowly, tears falling from your eyes, “Baby Teague” you add with a small happy laugh.

 

You cup his cheek and kiss him, thumb rubbing his jaw as you pull away. He pulls you into him then lays you down, him leaning over you.

 

He brushes some hair from your forehead and looks down at you with such love and happiness.

 

“No one else I’d want to have a child with. You’re everything to me. And now so is this little peanut,” he rubs your stomach with his eyes never leaving yours.

 

\-----

 

Elizabeth caused more of a ruckus when she came to be.

 

Anna was two and your little family of three was now living in a house in the suburbs.  Looking back, you feel silly for not realizing your period was late but taking care of a house and a rambunctious two year old took up most of your thoughts.

 

Joe had come home at a normal time but dinner wasn’t ready yet which wasn’t like you.  He wasn’t mad, he didn’t even care. He knows how much you do around here and he couldn’t be more grateful.

 

No one greets him which is unusual but he hears Anna being fussy from the kitchen.  He hangs up his jacket and hat then heads into the kitchen.

 

You’re standing at the stove, stirring a pot of sauce as you bounce a fussy Anna on your hip.

 

She sees Joe and smiles, little arms reaching out to him, “Dada!”

 

You turn, not even realizing he came home.  Joe smiles at his daughter, “Hey baby girl!” You let her go as Joe grabs her, him lifting her up before pulling her down into his arms and kissing her tiny cheeks. Anna giggles and plays with his tie.

 

He then turns his attention to you, arm wrapping around your front as he leans in, “Hey baby.”

 

You give him a tired smile and touch his cheek as you kiss him. He cups your cheek when you pull away, “You okay?”

 

You shake your head a little against his palm, “I don’t feel well. I’ve been nauseous all day and tired? I’m usually not like this.” Even sick, you’re cute - sounding confused about how you could be so tired.

 

He kisses your forehead, “I know. You feel a little warm too.”

 

“Oh my god, what if I get her sick?” You panic about little Anna.

 

He runs his hand over your head, “Hey, you’re good. She’s fine. Go upstairs and lay down,” he turns the stove off and pulls you against the other side of his chest, “You need to go rest.”

 

He feels you sigh when your head meets his chest. He rubs your back, kissing your hair.

 

“Are you sure?” you mumble against his shirt.

 

He gives your butt a little squeeze, “I’d carry you up there myself if not for this munchkin.”

 

You look at Anna and smile, shaking her little foot getting a giggle out of her.

 

Joe grasps your chin and kisses you softly, “Go on.”

 

You rub Anna’s arm before going upstairs.  You lay down and fall asleep almost instantly.  

 

When you wake up, it’s because Joe is sitting on the edge of the bed, kissing your face.

 

“Baby, wake up. Let’s get you changed,” since you had fallen asleep in your dress.  

 

You shake your head and snuggle into the bed more, “If I move, I might throw up,” you’re more nauseous than before.  He feels your forehead, “Shit, you’re burning up. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

 

It’s late so no doctor’s office is open.

 

“No, we can’t...Anna…”

 

“I’m calling my sister to come over to watch her. I’m taking you tonight.”

 

Once his sister got there, Joe was carrying you to the car and driving to the hospital.

 

He carried you from the car to the ER, then held you against him as you snuggled into his chest in the waiting room.

 

You were lying on a hospital bed with Joe leaning on his elbows on the bed, hand repeatedly smoothing over your hair. A cotton ball taped to your arm where the nurse took blood.

 

“I’m sorry,” you sigh, “It’s so late, you have work tomorrow.”

 

“You’re more important than a job,” he kisses your cheek.

 

The doctor walked in and Joe stood up. He glanced at you and took your hand in his.

 

The doctor smiled and looked between you both, “Well, you aren’t ill,” he starts, “Congratulations are in order, you’re pregnant. You’re just experiencing the rough symptoms of it.”

 

“What?” you ask quietly.

 

Joe squeezes your hand as he looks at you, “You’re pregnant,” he repeats as the words sink in for him too.

 

You cover your eyes as the tears start and your smile shows up. Joe’s leaning over you, kissing your jaw and your neck, laughing softly, “You’re pregnant!” You move your hand from your eyes to the back of his head.

 

He looks at you, “Ready for one more?” He grins.

 

“With you, always,” your smile meeting his when he kisses you.

 

\---

 

Your two daughters helped you share the news about Gracie.  She came three years after Elizabeth, five after Anna.

 

Two weeks you knew this time. You hate that you waited so long to tell him but you were trying to figure out a cute way to reveal it.

 

As you strolled through Macy’s with the girls one day, you found the perfect thing to tell him.

 

Joe, the great man that he is, was washing the dishes from dinner as you bathed the girls and got them ready for bed.  They each had their own room at this point, but only you knew how that would have to change soon enough. This new Teague was going to need a nursery.

 

You dressed the girls in their pjs and picked up Elizabeth, situating her on your hip.  You walked to the top of the stairs and called out to him, “Joe?”

 

He had just finished drying his hands and was walking towards the stairs, “Yeah, baby?”

 

You looked at Anna with a smile. She held onto your leg, looking down at her father.

 

“Wead to us?” She asked.

 

Joe’s smile will always make your heart flutter.  

 

He starts walking up the stairs, “Of course I’ll read to you little munchkins. Come here,” he picks her up as he reaches the top.

 

He kisses her cheek, then leans towards you to kiss Elizabeth’s. He then grips your hip and pulls you close as he kisses you, “You three have me wrapped around your fingers,” he kisses you a second time, “best part of my life.”

 

You smile and kiss him quick before you both carry your daughters to Anna’s room.  He always reads to them there, then he’ll carry a sleeping Elizabeth back to her room.

 

He sits Anna on her bed, then turns to take Elizabeth from you and sits her on the bed. It’s not until he grabs their favorite book and turns back to them that he freezes.

 

He saw Anna’s shirt when she stood at the top of the stairs and it made sense so he didn’t think twice. But to see Elizabeth wearing the same “Big Sister” shirt, a soft smile appears on his face. He looks at you and you nod with an excited smile.

 

He puts the book down and wraps you up in his arms. He kisses you immediately, one hand moving to your cheek, “One more?” He asks with a big grin, the same thing he asked when you last found out.

 

You bounce on your toes slightly in excitement,  causing him to laugh, “One more,” you smile.

 

He kisses you again deeply, “The four of you, best part of my life.”


	2. New Baby

It’s still weird being in a house after living in an apartment for years. Also, weird to have a baby crying a couple rooms over. 

 

It’s been 4 weeks since you gave birth to your daughter, the first child for you and Joe. Anna is wailing and it’s 5am.  

 

Joe’s on his side with his arm wrapped around you, hand tucked under your back. He doesn’t open his eyes, “I’ll get her,” he whispers, voice thick with sleep. 

 

You shake your head and open your eyes, “She’s hungry. You can’t help with that.”  You start to shift, grabbing his forearm and pulling gently to signal him to let go. 

 

He obliges then rolls onto his back, hands coming up to rub his face. He grunts before sitting up, legs swinging over the edge. You get up and move to stand in front of him.

 

“Joe.  Go back to sleep, I’ve got her,” you run a hand through his hair. 

 

He stands up and pulls you against him, kissing your upturned face, “You’re not gonna be able to go back to sleep. I’ll go start the coffee.” 

 

He’s so good. You hug his torso and kiss his chest. A kiss from him on your forehead and you make your way to your daughter’s nursery, Joe behind you. 

 

You both enter her nursery where Joe walks over to the crib and leans on it as he reaches his arm down. A tired smile on his face as he places his big hand on Anna’s tiny belly and gives it a little rub, “Mornin’ peanut.” He then picks her up and kisses her head as he rocks her in his arms a little. It does nothing to soothe her; as you said, she’s upset because she’s hungry. 

 

Seeing him with her always puts a smile on your face. He hands her to you with a small grin, “You’re up, Mommy.” 

 

You take her into your arms and get a kiss from Joe. He rubs his hand over her little head, then leaves to go make the coffee. 

 

Anna’s still wailing as you hold her close and take a seat in the armchair you have in her room.  You slide your hand up and under the strap of your nightgown so it falls off your shoulder and you position little Anna so she can latch onto your breast, which she does. 

 

And it’s quiet again.

 

As she eats, you watch her with a loving smile but you can’t help but yawn a few times.  People weren’t joking when they said to sleep as much as possible before the baby came. 

 

You can smell the coffee and you don’t know whether you want a big cup of it or actually try to sleep some more. But Joe’s right, you won’t be able to. Not easily at least. 

 

Speaking of, Joe walks into the room with two mugs of coffee. He places yours on top of the bookshelf before sipping his own. He then places his next to yours. 

 

He steps over to you and leans down to kiss you. Just as his lips move from yours, Anna finishes.  

 

“Here I got her,” he takes Anna from your arms and you fix your nightgown.  He holds her against his shoulder and pats her back lightly trying to get her to burp. 

 

Standing up, you walk over to take a sip from your mug.  You hold it in one hand as you lean against the wall, watching him gently bounce her as he rubs her back.  

 

As soon as little Anna lets out her little burp, you both smile big. Putting your mug down you walk over. Both you and Joe can’t help but praise her, even though you know she doesn’t understand you.   You hold onto Joe’s bicep as you run your hand down her back and move on your tiptoes to kiss her head. 

 

You nuzzle her hair with your nose gently and kiss her again. 

 

“She’s so perfect. I know I’m biased, but she really is,” you look at Joe only to see he’s already looking at you with a loving smile. 

 

“She’s half of you, so of course she is.”

 

Blushing you kiss his USMC tattoo, mumbling “I love you both…” against his skin before resting your chin on his shoulder, “...so much.” 

 

He turns and kisses your hair. You move off of him and he lifts Anna up, kissing her cheeks. Then he pulls her into his chest to rock her gently to sleep. She always naps after she eats. 

 

His large hand splays over her body, holding her in place. With his other, he reaches out and cups your cheek.  He rubs your cheekbone with his thumb and kisses you softly. 

 

“Baby, go lay down.  As soon as she’s asleep, I’ll be in.” 

 

You nod against his hand, “Yeah, okay. Thank you.”

 

He kisses you again and caresses your cheek before letting you go. 

 

One more kiss to Anna and you head back into your bedroom and lay down. 

 

You must have dozed off because when Joe lays down next to you, you’re opening your eyes. 

 

He faces you and runs a hand through your hair before sliding it down your arm then your thigh. 

 

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” he whispers leaning in and kissing the corner of your mouth. 

 

You close your eyes and nod. You feel him pull you into him and you slide your hand along his side, tucking your fingers into the top of his sweatpants. 

 

“Joe?” you whisper, eyes still closed. 

 

“Yeah, baby?” he kisses your forehead. 

 

“I want another one. Maybe even two more.” 

 

You don’t see his cute smile, “I’m ready when you are.” 

 

You give a sleepy smirk and cuddle closer. 

 


	3. Textbook

It’s been several years since the war. Joe rarely spoke about it, even when he was plagued with nightmares, and you never pushed it.  You’ll always remember the images that played out in the newsreels before movies and the pictures in magazines and the stories from those who made it home. 

 

So when you were cleaning up 10-year old Anna’s school supplies as she went to put her pajamas on, you couldn’t help but pause when you saw her history textbook. 

 

You flipped it open to the World War 2 chapter, more specifically the Pacific front, and slowly sat down as you read. It wasn’t even graphic in content, but you cried all the same. You remember all the images you’ve seen, the stories, and even the few pictures of Joe over there. And you so easily picture Joe going through what you’re reading. 

 

Joe comes back downstairs after putting the girls to bed. He walks into the dining room to find your back to him. He hears your quiet sniffles and watches as you bring your hand up to wipe at tears. 

 

You feel his hand on your shoulder and you instantly put yours over his. He glances at what your reading and a few keywords pop out at him and he realizes what it’s about. 

 

He kisses your head then crouches down next to you, sliding his hand from your shoulder to your hip. 

 

“Hey…” he says softly. 

 

You look at him, tears still falling down your face. 

 

“Joe, I had no idea. I mean, I knew it was horrible, but I had no idea just how much,” you cup his cheek. 

 

He just turns and kisses your palm quickly, hand rubbing your hip. You fully turn in your chair and grasp his face, “I also knew how lucky I was that you came home...but I never realized just  _ how _ lucky,” you press your forehead to his. 

 

He rubs your back and kisses you, his other hand coming up to wipe some tears from your face. 

 

“Why you even reading that, sweetheart? You shouldn’t put those images in your head.” 

 

“I wanted to know. You never talk much about it, and that’s okay,” you caress his cheek, “but what you did, what you saw over there, that’s a big part of you, Joe. And I love you. I want to know every part of you.” 

 

He kisses you again, more deeply this time. When he pulls away, he stands up and takes your hand, pulling you up with him. He leans into you to close the book. 

 

He looks at you and caresses your face, “Anything you want to know, you ask me, okay? It’s just...it was something that you shouldn’t ever have to carry the burden of knowing. What I did, what I had to do, it’s gonna stay with me for the rest of my life and I...I just wanted to protect you from having it stay with you too.” 

 

Instantly you hug him tight, his arms anchoring around you. His nose pushes into your neck before it’s gliding up your face so he can kiss your temple. 

 

Pulling back you look at him, run your fingernails through his hair before resting your hand on his chest. 

 

“Your past is  _ not _ a burden. It’s what makes you who you are and I don’t know if I’ve made it clear, but I love who you are so much,” a small smirk on your lips. 

 

Joe has his own soft smile, the one that makes you weak, and he grasps your jaw as he leans in, kissing you. 

 

“Best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he says low against your lips. When he pulls away, he smoothes his hand over your hair, “I love you too, more than I can ever tell you.” 


	4. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happened when Joe was shipped overseas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *warning: this chapter is about the reader suffering a miscarriage. I just wanted to let you know for any reader this may be sensitive for.*

It was his day off. Wanting to help you, he decided to tidy up the apartment while you were at work. 

 

As he lifted up the lamp on your nightstand to wipe down the wood, he found a folded piece of paper that had been tucked under it. 

Curiosity got the best of him and he unfolded what turned out to be a couple pieces of paper. 

 

It was hospital discharge papers. 

 

Slowly he sat on the edge of the bed as his eyes scanned over the documents. You were the patient.  He saw the dates you were there and it was a few days stay while he was newly in Guadalcanal. 

 

You never told him about needing to go to the hospital when he was away fighting. 

 

As his eyes find the reason for the visit, his vision blurs from tears. 

 

Miscarriage.  It’s typed right there on the form, right there like it’s nothing. 

 

Joe wipes his eyes quick and takes a breath. 

\--

 

You sigh with relief when you walk through the apartment door. It’s Friday and you’re so happy to be home. 

 

Immediately you slip off your heels and put your purse down. 

 

Joe steps inside from the fire escape where you can smell the cigarette smoke.  

 

He’s not mad at you. He’s just trying to process this. 

 

As soon as you see his face, your smile drops. 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

You watch as he slips his hand in his pocket and pulls out a folded paper. As he unfolds it, you feel light headed.  You’ve seen those papers more times than you can count, you knew exactly what it was he found. 

 

Tears spring to your eyes as you cover your mouth with your hand.  

 

When his teary eyes find yours, your quiet sobs start. He holds up the papers.

 

His voice is quiet, small - so unlike himself, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

You don’t stray from your spot by the front door, you slowly move your hand from your mouth and wrap your arm across your stomach. 

 

“I didn’t want to tell you in a letter,” and your voice sounds just as small as his, “Then when you came home...and I saw you again...hugged you again...I just...I couldn’t,” a sob leaves your body, “I was so ashamed, Joe.” 

 

Joe leans down to place the papers on the coffee table, his eyes never leaving you. 

 

He takes a step towards you and his chest aches when you take a tiny step back. 

 

“Ashamed? Sweetheart, why?” He doesn’t understand. 

 

When he calls you sweetheart, you feel the tears come faster. 

 

“Because what kind of wife am I? You’re off fighting for our country, risking your life, and here I am...not even able to stay pregnant longer than six weeks.” 

 

You turn away from him as you cry. All the emotions you’ve tried to push down now resurfacing faster than ever. 

 

Joe takes that moment to quickly move on you, moving to stand in front of you.  His arms surround your body as he pulls you into his chest. 

 

He feels you try to resist for a few seconds before you finally cry into his chest instead of your hands. 

 

He leans his head down, his lips near your ear as he speaks softly and sincerely. 

 

“Baby, you listen to me. You are an amazing wife. Amazing. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, you hear me?” He presses a kiss to your temple, his lips staying there as he hugs you closer. 

 

After a couple minutes, you’re able to slow the tears enough to pull back and look at your husband. 

 

“I want you to know that I didn’t even know I was pregnant until that happened. I don’t want you to think that I didn’t tell you.” 

 

He brings a hand up to smooth some hair from your face, his hand coming down to cup your cheek. You feel his thumb sweep across your tear stained cheek, “It’s okay. I know you would have,” he frowns slightly then, “Tell me you had someone with you at the hospital.”

 

A small shake of your head breaks his heart. 

 

You didn’t know who to call, you were embarrassed, and all you really wanted was Joe. 

 

“All I wanted was to come home...and for you to walk through the door,” you start crying again. 

 

He takes your face in his hands, your tears meeting his skin, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, that you had to go through it alone. I’m so sorry.” 

 

You shake your head gently as he speaks, “No. There’s no way you could have been,” you manage to quietly choke out. 

 

He presses a quick kiss to your lips before hugging you to him again. He lifts you off the ground and walks to the couch, sitting down with you in his lap. He only loosens his grip when he feels you pull back. 

 

“Joe, I’m sorry for losing our baby.”  It’s all you’ve wanted to say to him since it happened. 

 

He cups your cheek, you quickly cover his hand with yours and lean into his palm, your eyes cast down to his thigh as he tells you, “I love you”. 

 

“Baby, look at me,” and you do as he says. 

 

His eyes pinned to yours, his tone so sincere and so determined, he repeats his words. 

 

“I love you.” 

 

He leans forward and as he presses several slow, sweet kisses around your face, you close your eyes. 

 

When his forehead leans against yours, is when you open your eyes to meet his. 

 

“You’re okay, that’s what I’m grateful for,” he pulls away to look at you properly, “But what happened wasn’t your fault, you need to stop blaming yourself. There’s not one person to blame for this. It just happens.” 

 

“You’re not mad at all?” 

 

“Oh, sweetheart. Not at all. I’m sad, yeah but so are you for the same reason. But that still doesn’t make it your fault, and it definitely doesn’t make you any less of the wonderful woman that you are.” 

 

“I’m afraid though. What if it happens again the next time I get pregnant?” 

 

“Then we go through it together. And then we keep trying. You’re not alone in this anymore. Never again.” 


	5. Bullets Over L.A. - Part 1

Gracie fell asleep in Joe’s arms as you all sat around the living room watching The Wizard of Oz, one of the girls’ favorite movies. 

 

Your head on his shoulder, he kisses your hair, and you turn spotting Gracie fast asleep against his chest. You lightly brush the hair from her forehead, a smile on your face. 

 

“I’ll take her up,” Joe whispers before kissing you. 

 

You sit up letting him stand up, holding her little sleeping form. Your two other daughters don’t even look his way, too entranced with the movie.  The girls are on their stomachs, little chins sitting in their hands.  

 

Joe kisses Gracie’s cheek as he carries her up the stairs to her room.  He walks in, and shifts her to one arm as he leans down, pulling her purple floral comforter back. He bends to lay her in her bed.

 

You smile at the girls watching tv, grateful for the lives you and Joe created, for the little family you have with him. A car pulling up outside barely registers to you; the sound of a couple car doors slamming cause you to calmly look towards the curtain covered windows. 

 

It all happens so fast. He hears the sound of bullets ripping through the windows and walls, the sound of his little girls screaming and crying down below.  He hits the floor, Gracie tight against his chest. She’s awake and wailing from the noise. He has his body over her, careful not to smother her. 

 

It feels like hours before the bullets stop and he hears the sound of tires squealing as a car speeds away.  His heart is pounding, thoughts racing. He hears the girls still crying and he gets to his feet. Cradling Gracie’s head against his chest he races downstairs. The thuds of his racing steps, in time with the thuds of his racing heart. 

 

He hears the girls, but he doesn’t hear you. 

 

He rounds the corner into the living room. You're just getting up from shielding the girls with your body when you hear him and look up.  Anna and Elizabeth are clinging to you as you hug them close. 

 

He breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of you, alive. He immediately kneels down and you take Gracie from him as he inspects the girls for any injuries, the two of them then quickly clinging to him crying for him. 

 

He fits them into a hug with one arm as he smooths his hand over your head, his face etched with worry. 

 

“Joe” you quietly say in shock. He immediately kisses your face, your hand cupping his cheek, before pulling you and Gracie against his chest too. His girls safe in his arms. 

 

\---

 

Joe being a Detective means you have loads of police at your house in minutes. As it turns out, a few policemen had their houses shot up at the same time; warnings from the mobs that think they run this city. 

 

You’ve been upstairs, comforting the girls in you and Joe’s bed.  Anna has finally fallen asleep, the last one to do so.  You look down at your three beautiful daughters and your heart hurts at how much you love them. Sweetly, you kiss each one on the head and pull the blanket up just a little more to properly tuck them in. 

 

You walk into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind you. With your hand still on the doorknob, you lean against the door, your other hand covering your mouth as you stifle the sobs that you finally let slip out. 

 

Tonight could have been so much worse. 

 

You hear the floor creak and look down the hall to see Joe stepping off the top step.  He’s over to you instantly, wrapping you up in his strong arms as he presses his nose into your cheek.  His shoulder helping you muffle your cries. 

 

It’s the first time you two have a minute to yourselves since what happened. 

 

He moves a hand to hold the back of your head, his lips brushing your face, “I know, baby, I know.” 

 

“ _The girls,_ Joe. _You_ ,” is all you manage to get out between sobs but he understands; he always does.  

 

“ _You_ ,” he adds. “God, I thought I lost you,” he breathes. The memory of the girls crying is one he will live with forever, as is the memory of not hearing your voice right away, of that sinking feeling he had that his daughters just lost their mother, that he just lost the love of his life. 

 

He pulls back enough to see your face. His own eyes brimming with tears. He sees the ones rolling down your cheeks and brushes some away before kissing you like you’re the only thing keeping him alive. 

 

When you both pull away, between soft kisses he places on your face, “How are they?” 

 

“Sleeping finally, but they’re so scared...so am I.” 

 

“I know, that’s why you and the girls are going to go stay with your parents for a little while. Until we get these pieces of shit.” 

 

“What? No.” You look at him confused but stern. 

 

“What do you mean?” He asks, equally confused.

 

“We move them and we make them more scared. They’d never want to come back here. We stay and we show them it’s going to be okay. We stay together, Joe, as a family.”  

 

He can’t stop the soft smile on his face. “Okay,” he caresses your cheek, “We stay here, together.” 

 

You give a small nod of confirmation and he cradles your face, his thumbs sweeping under your eyes to wipe your tears.  He then grips your hips pulling you into him before hugging you. You kiss his jaw then nuzzle him there sweetly. 

 

“Joe!” a man’s voice carries up the stairs. 

 

Joe glances in its direction before turning his attention back to you. He presses his forehead to yours, “I love you so much.” 

 

Placing your hand on his cheek, you move forward and kiss him quick, “I love you too.” 

 

He steps back and wraps his hand around yours as he leads you downstairs.

 

Just as when you brought the girls to bed a couple hours ago, there’s at least a couple officers in each room.  You notice the shards of glass and pieces of wood that littered the carpet are almost all gone. You realize you hear a vacuum and turn to see a young officer using it to clean up for you.  

 

“Ma’am,” Bill gives a courteous nod before speaking to Joe who’s still holding your hand. 

 

“We can give your family an escort to your in-laws’ house.” 

 

You feel Joe lace his fingers with yours and you place your other hand on his forearm. You’re still looking around at the damage. Holes seem to be everywhere.  You must have given a low gasp because Joe let go of your hand and wrapped his arm around your waist, holding you against his body.  You wrap an arm around his back as you look over his shoulder at how a few bullets seemed to have even reached back into the kitchen. 

 

“I appreciate that Bill, but we’ve decided we’re going to stay here.” 

 

“You sure?” the Sergeant confirms.

 

Perking up at the conversation, you turn in Joe’s grasp to face Bill, “Yes.” 

 

The blonde man nods, “Okay. Then we’re going to have a few cars and a few men stationed outside your house 24/7 until we find the men responsible. And tomorrow I’ll have some men come by and patch up these holes until we can get them properly taken care of.” 

 

You and Joe both give your thanks. 

 

They’re there for maybe another half hour before they all slowly start to leave. When Bill, the last one to leave, is gone and Joe confirms the police cars stationed outside, he shuts the hole-riddled front door. 

 

He walks over and you open your arms to him, you wrap them around his neck as he hugs your body to him.  You gently scratch the back of his head as he presses a couple kisses to your neck. Without speaking, he grips your back and leans down, wrapping an arm around your legs. He carries you upstairs as you hold onto him, kissing his face every few steps. 

 

He puts you down outside the door of your bedroom. You press a finger to your lips to remind him to be quiet since the little ones are sleeping inside. Quietly, you both enter the bedroom.  

 

Joe walks over to the bed to look down at the cutest little girls he’s ever seen.  He leans down, kissing each one on the cheek. You change into a nightie and Joe walks over to you.  He pulls you against him and kisses you softly.  As you slide your hands up his chest, he slides a hand into your hair, pulling you even closer.  

 

After about a minute of kissing each other, you both pull away slowly.  He kisses your forehead as you slide your hands down to his waist. Another quick kiss and you walk past him.  As he takes off his clothes, changing into a pair of sweatpants, you slide into bed next to Anna. 

 

Joe slides into bed on the other side, next to Elizabeth. Little Gracie is sandwiched between her sisters.  

 

You and your husband are facing the girls and each other.  You reach out caressing his jaw and he kisses your palm. You smile and pull your hand back as he reaches out to rest his hand on your sheet covered thigh, his arm across the girls.

 

Joe looks at you and mouths, ‘I love you’ and you do the same. 

 

He never moves his hand as you both fall asleep. 


	6. Bullets Over L.A. - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second (and final) part.

It’s a rough couple of weeks after that. 

 

The girls sleep in the bed you and Joe share every night, still too scared to be in their own. Joe only stays late at work a few times, not wanting to be away from his family too often. And you’re all still effected by that night whether you realize it or not, as becomes evident one night at dinner. 

 

You all were sitting around the table, Anna talking about watching butterflies come out of the cocoons that her class have been taking care of, when somewhere outside a car backfired. A sound that is so similar to a gunshot. 

 

Joe watches in sadness as his girls all react to the sound. He sees you all jump, Anna dropping her fork with a clatter against the plate. Elizabeth gasps, her eyes instantly filling with tears. Gracie reacts more to the clatter of the fork and with you, he notices your hands start trembling slightly. 

 

Everyone’s quiet. Joe stands up causing everyone to look at him. He pulls out Elizabeth’s chair and picks her up, “Come here, honey.”  He settles her on his hip and walks over to the radio, “I think we could all use a little music, yeah?” 

 

Elizabeth lays her head on his shoulder, sniffling as she wipes her tears. He turns the knob a few times and lands on an Elvis Presley song. 

 

“There you go,” he rubs her tummy with his finger as he dips his head to look at her face, “You like Elvis, right? Can you do the Elvis lip for me?” 

 

He hears Anna giggle from the table. 

 

Elizabeth shakes her head and buries her face into his shirt. 

 

“Sure, you can. Look, just like this,” and he rubs her little tummy again to get her to look at him. He turns to face the rest of you and he’s got the corner of his upper lip up, imitating Elvis. 

 

The second you all start laughing, he laughs too.  He then finally gets Elizabeth to make the lip, getting her to giggle too. As Joe bounces her in his arms, something to resemble dancing, her giggles get louder.  

 

“Mommy, us too!” Anna says in excitement. 

 

You smile and stand up. You pick up Gracie whose arms are outstretched to you, sit her on your hip as you take Anna’s hand and start twirling her while bouncing Gracie as you swing your hips. 

 

After several minutes, the girls gradually get put down to dance with each other, showing off their Elvis lip skills.  Joe pulls you into him and grasps your hand. You blush and wrap your other arm around his neck.  The next song is one by Nat King Cole and Joe starts slow dancing with you. 

 

He kisses your pink cheeks, “You know, the father of those girls,” he says with a smirk, “is hopelessly in love with their mother.” 

 

You smile and give a little laugh, “So the rumors are true?” 

 

Joe smiles big, “Very much so,” and he kisses you deeply as he sways with you.  When he pulls away his nose brushes yours, lips lingering nearby. 

 

You feel like a it’s your first date all over again, the way he can still make your heart feel like it’s going to beat right out of your chest.

 

His voice is husky and low, “We’re going to have to figure something out because I can’t go much longer without holding you at night.” 

 

Your face heats up and you kiss him, “I know.” 

 

“How about after they go to bed, we see if maybe we can work something out?”  

 

His voice alone can do things to you and right now was one of those times. You nod as he kisses you. 

 

You pull away and Joe slowly releases his grip on you. 

 

You catch the time and you need to give the girls a bath before bed. Joe says he’ll clear the table so you head upstairs with them. Once their baths are finished they all get dressed in their pajamas. 

 

You head downstairs alone and Joe is just finished drying the last dish. 

 

“They’d like you to read them a story before bed.” 

 

He grins and glances at you before putting the dish in the rack. He gives you a kiss as he passes to go upstairs. 

 

You finish putting the dishes away and wipe down the table and kitchen. As you stand up from putting the last of the girl’s toys away in the living room, Joe wraps an arm around you from behind.  You lean back against him and he kisses your neck.  His hand moves to your skirt and he slowly starts pulling the fabric up, bunching it in his fist. As he does that, he speaks low against your ear, “So they insisted on sleeping in their own beds. Which means we have our room back to ourselves,” once he has the fabric pulled up, he moves his other hand to brush between your legs getting a gasp out of you. He kisses your neck, “Now it’s time to make up for the past two weeks.” 

 

He quickly lets you go and scoops you up, carrying you upstairs and into your room. Within minutes, clothes are shed and Joe has you laid out on the bed. 

 

\---

 

You stretch your body out under the sheets and slowly open your eyes.  Joe isn’t in bed. 

 

You see the time and sit up on your elbows. You slept a couple hours longer than normal. The stress of the past couple weeks paired with Joe’s love of driving you to pleasure multiple times caused you to sleep in late. You panic about the girls and breakfast when you smell pancakes. You smile to yourself and lay back down knowing that Joe is taking care of it. You then feel your cheeks heat up as you remember how Joe took care of you last night.  

 

You get up and find your underwear from last night, pulling it on. You throw on your nightie and robe and head downstairs. 

 

The girls are seated at the kitchen island, all in their pajamas, happily eating some scrambled eggs as they wait for Joe to finish the pancakes. 

 

Joe glances at you with a smirk, “There’s Mommy.” 

 

You blush and hear the chorus of ‘Good Morning Mommy’ from the three little cuties. You walk over and kiss each one on the head before walking to Joe. 

 

He’s got his sweatpants and his tank top on which lets you grab his bare bicep. He’s at the stovetop, flipping pancakes when you go to kiss his cheek. He instead wraps an arm around you and tucks you in between him and the stove, his broad back blocking the girls’ view of you. 

 

He grins and kisses you softly, “Figured you needed some extra sleep.” 

 

You give a hum as he kisses you again, “Surprised you don’t after last night.” 

 

He moves to nuzzle your neck, “No, I do. I’m going right back up after they’re finished.” 

 

You giggle as he lifts his head and kisses you. 

 

\---

 

Once breakfast was eaten, dishes cleaned, and girls dressed, they went out in the backyard to play.  

 

Joe slept an extra hour or two then headed into work. 

 

The house had been repaired incredibly fast thanks to the police department and some neighbors.  You just had to buy some new furniture which was delivered today. 

 

When Joe gets home, it’s very late. You’re asleep in bed when you feel a hand on your face. You open your eyes just quick enough to see it’s your husband before closing them again, “Hmm, hey,” you whisper. 

 

“Baby, we got ‘em.” 

 

It immediately registers what he means and you open your eyes, sitting up to meet him as he’s seated on the edge of the bed. 

 

“You’re sure?” 

 

Joe nods with a small smile, hand caressing your cheek, “Ned helped me make sure.” 

 

You notice his right hand is bandaged and you slide your hand under it. 

 

“Guys gave me a little gift of alone time with each one,” he adds with a hint of anger. 

 

You grasp his face and kiss him, “Do you need me to clean it?” 

 

“No, I’m good. You go back to sleep, I just wanted to let you know right away.” 

 

You kiss him again before laying back down. You watch as he gets up and takes his clothes off before walking over and getting into bed with you. 

 

“Joe, I was thinking maybe we could take the girls on vacation. They’ve been through a lot.” 

 

Pulling you close, he kisses your forehead, “I was actually thinking the same thing.” 

 

You both happen to say your ideas at the same time. 

 

“Disneyland.” 


	7. Morning Sickness

Three months into your pregnancy with Baby Teague number two, and it’s nothing like it was when you were pregnant with Anna.  Your first pregnancy spoiled you in how easy it was; you had some of the annoyances as every woman does, but you barely had morning sickness and your exhaustion didn’t feel as severe as it does this time.

 

With your breasts so sore, any time you’d shift in your sleep and put any weight on them, the pain would instantly wake you.  To combat that, Joe makes sure to keep you in his hold because whenever he’s held you during the night, you never seem to stray from him. 

 

The bedroom is on the second floor of the house you bought shortly after Anna was born three years ago.  Back in the small apartment, for the first few months Anna lived out of a crib on Joe’s side of the room.  With the need for more room, and the idea that you’d both want more children soon enough, a house was a needed purchase.

 

The two of you are deep asleep on this very early Thursday morning.  Dressed in a silk slip, your head is on the joint of his shoulder, your body sandwiched between Joe’s shirtless side and his arm.  Your back is flush against him and your hands have tenderly grasped his arm that snakes along across your slightly swollen belly, his hand resting on your hip in a protective hold.  Joe’s face is turned toward you, his nose halfway buried in your hair. 

 

Unbeknownst to you, Anna managed to climb out of her crib again and has made her way into your bedroom.   Her bare little feet barely make a noise on the floor as she rounds the bed to your side.  Holding onto the edge of the sheet that’s folded back, she manages to pull herself up onto the bed.  In his slumber, Joe only tightens his arm around you as the mattress barely shifts from her movements. 

 

Anna puts her little hands on your face, whispering ‘Mama’.  It’s a show of just how tired this pregnancy has made you because normally that would have woken you up in an instant, but not anymore.  Anna whispers it a little louder, but it’s Joe who wakes up in a sleepy haze.

 

He sees his first born trying to wake you up and a glance at the clock shows it’s 4:30 in the morning, knowing your struggles this time around, Joe’s quick to intervene.  He never thinks about taking his arm away from you, even though it’s closest to Anna, because he doesn’t want to risk waking you.

 

“Hey, munchkin,” Joe whispers to his daughter.

 

Anna stills her hands on your cheeks and looks to her dad, “Daddy!”  This time it wasn’t a whisper.

 

Joe cringes at the volume and feels you shift just a tiny bit, but otherwise you make no move of waking up.  He puts a finger to his lips and says “Shhh,” to Anna, before waving her over with his free hand, “Mommy’s sleeping still, so come here sweetheart,” and pats his bare chest. 

 

Anna puts a hand on Joe’s that’s on your hip as she climbs over your body to get to Joe.  She crawls onto his chest and lays down. 

 

“What’s a matter honey?” Joe whispers as he runs a hand over her hair and down her back, giving small rubs. 

 

Following her dad with the whispering, “I’m awake,” she says matter-of-factly.

 

He blinks slowly as he’s still tired himself, but he still grins at her response, “I see that.  Mommy and I still need to sleep some more, though, so you think you can sleep a bit more too?”

 

She shakes her head with a smile.

 

He keeps rubbing her back, knowing that it will eventually lull her to sleep, “Even for me? And for Mommy?”

 

“For Mommy too?” She asks and he can’t help but smile because Anna is a spitting image of you, and he’ll never get enough of it.

 

“Yeah, she needs you to sleep too, like her, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Anna nods and curls against him more.  Her soft hair tickling his chin. 

 

He stops rubbing her back just long enough to pull the sheets up more to cover her little body, then he rubs her back some more until they’re both asleep. 

 

The warmth of a feeling of nausea wakes you up about an hour later.  A quick glance behind you and you see Joe still asleep and somehow a sleeping Anna has made her way to his chest.  As cute as the sight is, you can’t even enjoy it because you can feel bile start heading up.  Quickly you pull Joe’s heavy arm away from you and quickly scramble off the bed and into the master bathroom attached to the room. 

 

Joe wakes from the movement, and in the dark can make out what’s happening.  With Anna still asleep on his chest, he slowly but quickly moves while supporting her in his arms.  Once standing, he tucks her in towards the center of the bed and follows you into the bathroom. 

 

Kneeling in front of the toilet, your hair in your hand at your shoulder, you heave into the bowl as the morning sickness starts a bit early today. 

 

Joe takes a knee right next to you, his hand replacing yours at holding your hair back.  You feel him kiss your head.

 

Just another couple minutes of sickness, and you’re blindly reaching for the lever but Joe reaches it first and pushes it as you bring the back of your hand to your mouth and sit back, leaning against the side of the tub. 

 

Joe stays on his knee but moves to be in front of you.  He slips a hand under the hem of your slip to rest on your thigh as he brushes your hair from your face, “You okay?”

 

Without even a word from you, he can see just how exhausted you are. 

 

You shake your head before saying, “No,” and you look at him, “I’m tired all the time, my boobs hurt, and I’m sick of this,” you motion to the toilet, “Anna was so easy…and this is…it just really stinks to be honest.”

 

He gives a tired grin, because he knows how hard this pregnancy is on you, but he also knows how excited you are to have another child, so this venting of yours is just that. 

“What can I do to help?”  He asks as he rubs your thigh and brings his free hand to your cheek.   

 

“Nothing,” you shake your head again, and let out a small sigh of defeat.

 

“You’re incredible, you know that?” he smiles, “Anna was easier for you and you protected her for nine months, took the most amazing care of her,” he smiles and sees the corner of your mouth perk up into a slight one, “And though this little peanut,” and he moves his hand to your small swollen belly, “is really testing out it’s temporary home this time around, you are still just as incredible at taking care of this child, as you are with taking care of our little girl sleeping right out there,” he moves even closer, “You have no idea how much I wish I could make you feel better, but know that as the father of these children, how much I appreciate what you do for them, especially before I even get to meet them,” he grazes his nose against your cheek as he kisses it.

 

You bring your hand to his collarbone then slide it up his neck, and you see his own tired eyes, and you realize that while your body is going through the trauma, that Joe has been by your side through all of it.  He’s been up early with you like this and held you through the tears from stress. 

 

“I couldn’t do any of this without you…I love you,” you slide your hand to the back of his head and give his short hair a soft scratch. 

 

Joe leans in with a smirk and kisses the corner of your nose before dipping his head to kiss your neck, “I love you too, baby,” he murmurs against your skin making you breath a laugh from the tickling.  His lips curl into a smile against you. 

 

When he pulls back, he lifts your fabric to expose your cute baby bump.  Placing his large hand over it, he leans down some, “Hey little one, you need to do your Pop a favor and ease up on your Mama here, okay?  She’s strong, but don’t go making her prove that to you so early.”

 

You laugh and run your hand through his short hair.

 

Joe looks at you and runs a hand over your hair, “You need to stay here or you ready to get back to bed?”

 

“Brush my teeth first, then bed,” you remind him.

 

Joe grins and kisses your forehead.  He stands up first, and you put your hands out to him but instead, he bends down and lifts you up into his arms.  He places you on the bathroom counter and gets your toothbrush ready for you before handing it to you.

 

As you’re brushing, you groan and touch your breast as an ache hits you. 

 

“Jesus, you’re beautiful,” Joe breathes at the sight.

 

You roll your eyes as you smile around the toothbrush.  Joe catches it and smirks, “Even if you didn’t just touch yourself, I’d have thought it.”

 

His words make you chuckle, and when you move to get off the counter, he helps you down.  When you rinse your mouth out and put your toothbrush back, you turn to him, “Thank you for this, for taking care of me with all of this,” you reach out and squeeze his hip. 

 

Joe brings his hands to your face and steps closer, “It’s not something you need to thank me for,” and he brings his lips to yours, kissing you the way he’s wanted to this whole time. 

 

You slide your hands from his torso to his back, loosely wrapping your arms around him as you melt into the kiss he deepens. 

 

His thumbs sweep across your cheekbones when he slowly pulls away, “You’re a gorgeous woman, my sexy wife, and one beautiful mama,” he shares quietly to reaffirm his earlier words, “and I’d do anything for you and our kids,” his voice still intimately low as he rests his forehead against yours.

 

You let your hand fall to his butt where you give it a little squeeze, “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d tell you to take me right here,” you’re sincere in your words, but the tiredness is evident in your voice. 

 

Joe kisses you with a tired grin, his arms wrapping around you where he gets a squeeze in of his own, “After being woken up by that little munchkin in there, I’m too beat myself,” he kisses you a third time, “But don’t think we aren’t putting a rain check on that.”

 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, “Oh, we definitely are,” you press your lips to his quickly.  Joe kisses your forehead as he takes your hand and leads you back into the bedroom.

 

“If we wake her up, she’s up for good,” he whispers to you as you both stare down at your first beautiful child.  Unable to help yourself, you carefully comb your fingers through her hair and place a soft kiss to her forehead. 

 

“I’m gonna move her over and I’ll hold her to my other side,” he shares his plan then moves to his side of the bed where he slowly slides his hands under her small sleeping form and slides her towards him.  You have to cover your mouth to stifle a giggle at how cute he looks being so careful with her. 

 

Satisfied that she hasn’t woken up, he walks over to your side and slowly gets onto the bed, laying down on his back.  Carefully, he secures an arm around his daughter to prevent her from getting any closer to the edge of the mattress.  He looks to you and motions for you to follow as he opens his arm to you.  Following his actions, you slowly climb onto the bed and lay down on your side, your chest against him.  You bite your lip at the quick shot of pain through your breasts, but as quick as it comes, it’s gone and you’re able to rest your head on his shoulder and your hand on his chest. 

 

“You okay?” he whispers, hand coming to rub your hip. 

 

“Yeah,” you kiss his skin. 

 

He brings his hand up to sweetly run over your temple before bringing it back to your hip.  It’s only a couple minutes before you’re both asleep.


	8. Teague Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe comes home to royalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to PF23! Thank you for inspiring this fic with the pic you tagged me on over on tumblr <3

 

As Joe steps inside, he can hear the sounds of giggling coming closer.  As his two young daughters round the corner in play, two handmade crowns on their heads, they spot him immediately and scream out, “Daddy!”

 

Joe gives his fedora a little toss onto the coat rack next to the door and instantly crouches down opening his arms, “Get over here,” he laughs. 

 

Anna and Elizabeth run full speed into him, arms wrapping around his neck, but even their little strength doesn’t move his strong self.  He playfully grunts though as they run into his arms because it makes them laugh some more. 

 

“Daddy missed you munchkins,” he kisses each of their cheeks before standing up with one settled on each hip. 

 

“We missed you too!” Anna happily exclaims before Elizabeth chimes in, “Daddy, we’re princesses!”

 

“Mommy made us these crowns,” Anna smiles and touches hers.

 

“Well she did an amazing job because you are two of the cutest princesses I’ve ever seen with some of the best crowns I've ever seen,” he smiles as he starts heading into the kitchen.

 

“Mommy said that you’re our knight in shiny omer,” Elizabeth states as she touches the knot of his tie. 

 

Joe can’t help but chuckle at his daughter’s attempt at repeating your words accurately, but he also smiles at the fact of what you told them.

 

“Did she now?”

 

Anna nods, “Because you protect us,” she says matter-of-factly.

 

“Always will,” he kisses their cheeks again. 

 

Walking into the kitchen, he finds you standing at the stove stirring something in a pot.  At the sound of his footsteps, you look over your shoulder and smile at his being home. 

 

“Mommy, Daddy’s home!” Elizabeth shouts.

 

It makes you laugh, but then you try to appear serious, “Is our castle safe now?” you ask as you obviously are carrying on a conversation with them from earlier. 

 

Both girls throw their arms up and say, “Yeah!”

 

“Oh! We made you something,” Elizabeth states and Anna gasps in remembrance and nods.  Joe smiles and puts them down.

 

The second their feet hit the floor, they’re both running out of the kitchen and you both hear their little footsteps run upstairs as they continue to play princesses and laugh.

 

You lower the flame and turn as Joe rounds the island. 

 

“So you must be the beautiful Queen I’ve been hearing about,” he smirks as he walks closer.

 

Blushing, you can’t help but laugh, “Oh yeah, that’s me,” and you run your hand over your growing belly of Baby Teague number three.

 

“It is you,” he smiles and places one hand over yours on your belly as he brings his other to your cheek, thumb brushing the corner of your mouth before leaning in and kissing you.

 

When his lips move from yours, you shake your head and place a hand on his jaw lined with stubble, “Baby, kiss me again.  This Queen missed her Knight,” you smirk as he grins before obliging. 

 

His arm wraps around you and you feel him grip your buttocks as he pulls you close, his other hand sliding into your hair as he parts his lips, his tongue finding yours. 

 

The kiss leaves you lightheaded and hungry for more.  But you still have to finish dinner, so you fight back the need.

 

Joe makes that difficult when he tilts his head and presses two soft kisses to your neck, then mumbles against your skin, under your ear, “So who gets to bed the Queen? Didn’t hear mention about a King,” then he smirks against you before kissing your earlobe. 

 

Lifting his head and catching you with your eyes closed in bliss a second before you open them, he gives your tush one more squeeze before running his hand down your arm, his hand fitting around yours at the end. 

 

“Didn’t you hear? About five years ago the Teague Kingdom became overrun by females and has continued to be.  We don’t have a King, but we have a Knight who loves us all very much and works hard every day to care for us.  And it’s him who gets to bed me,” you finish with a wink.

 

Joe smiles big as he sweetly caresses your cheek, “Lucky bastard.”

 

“I’ll say,” you tease back and laugh when Joe quickly dips his head to pepper your neck with kisses.  His arms hug you close as he laughs against your neck.   

 

Two little sets of feet come thumping down the stairs, two small voices yelling for their father with excitement.

 

Joe presses his forehead to yours, both of you with grins, before separating, but Joe keeps a hold of your hand. 

 

“There’s a dragon attacking the castle!” Elizabeth tells Joe.

 

“Only you can kill it Daddy,” Anna states before holding up what they made him, a sword.  A empty wrapping paper tube and some empty toilet paper tubes taped together to be a makeshift sword.

 

Joe wipes a hand over his mouth to hide his amusement at this beautiful imagination in front of him.

 

He looks to you as you stifle a laugh, “Go get ‘em honey,” you encourage with a kiss to his cheek.

 

A quick squeeze of your hand then he lets you go and gives his attention to his two little princesses, “Lead the way my princesses!” he graciously takes the sword from his oldest and crouches down so Elizabeth can hop onto his back. 

 

Anna leads the charge out the back door and into the backyard.

 

You watch from the kitchen window as he grabs the top of the metal trash can to use as a shield, Elizabeth still on his back, as he stabs at the large bush that they had you tie red and orange ribbon too for flames from the dragon’s mouth. 

 

Anna cheers her Dad on as Elizabeth laughs, holding on tight to his neck. 

 

After a few minutes of fake struggling, Joe comes out the winner once he knocks the ribbons off the bush with his Princess-made sword.  Joe tosses the trashcan lid for dramatic effect to the delight of his daughters.

 

You can hear their cheers as Joe and Anne throw their arms up and Joe picks Anna up with a light toss before holding her to his chest as Elizabeth squeals with delight on his back. 

 

With a big smile, you watch as they come back into the kitchen, Anna’s voice announcing, “He did it! He saved us!”

 

“He almost got me, baby,” Joe feigns worry as he throws you a wink that weakens your knees. 

 

“No!” you gasp in fear as you play along.

 

“Yeah! But then Daddy shoved him with his shield and stabbed him with the sword!” Elizabeth explains excitedly.

 

“Well, I think our hero deserves some extra hugs and kisses, don’t you think?” you brush your hand down Anna’s hair that’s resting against her shoulders, careful not to mess with the crown sitting atop her head.

 

“Thank you, Daddy!” the girls cheer and pepper his cheeks with kisses, though Elizabeth can only reach his jaw.

 

“Thank you for making me the best sword,” Joe smirks, loving his daughters’ affection. 

 

“Now, I need you little royals to go wash up because dinner will be ready very soon.  Okay? Anna please help your sister reach the soap this time,” you brush your knuckle along her cheek.

 

“Yes, Mommy,” she sweetly replies.

 

Joe carefully puts Anna down first, then crouches down so Elizabeth can slide off his back.  The two little ones hold hands as they run out of the kitchen and upstairs.

 

“They’ve been waiting all day for you to come home and have you do that,” you smile as you watch your husband stand back up.  Joe finally takes his suit jacket off and drapes it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, then he unbuttons his cuffs to roll his sleeves up.  He still has his shoulder holster on, and though seeing his gun is still a bit alarming for you, you don’t even give it a second thought when Joe’s eyes meet yours and he heads over to you.

 

“And the shield, that was a nice touch,” you commend him, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck as his hands fit to your hips.

 

“Liked that, huh?” he smirks, his lips brushing against the tip of your nose first.

 

“Mmm,” you hum affectionately as his lips brush against your cheek.

 

Joe then presses his lips to yours, kissing you softly.  He licks his lips quick when the kiss breaks, and when he feels your nails give a scratch of his short hair, his arms move around your waist.

 

“So, how was your day?” you finally ask him.

 

“Shit,” he answers, “That is until I got home to my unbelievable wife, and our three great kids,” and his large hand presses to your swollen stomach as a smile spreads on his face. 


	9. Clean Shirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to PF23 :)

 

The first thing Joe said when you picked up the phone was "I'm okay" and as much as that was supposed to calm you, just knowing that he was even hurt at all hurt your soul.   He had called asking if you could bring him a clean shirt because he had gotten into a tussle with a robbery suspect that left drops of his and the suspect's blood on his white shirt.  

 

The elevator doors open to the hallway leading to his division and the girls run off in excitement.  Before they can pull the doors open, "Girls," you say stern but not mean. 

 

Anna and Elizabeth stop dead in their tracks and turn to you as you smooth a hand over your pregnant belly. 

 

"When we go see Daddy at work, what do we need to do?"  

 

Elizabeth answers with excitement for knowing, "Be qwuiet!" 

 

"Yes and what else?"

 

"Hold hands," Anna says before holding onto Elizabeth's hand.  With one hand holding a paper bag and your other reaching for the door handle, Anna gently holds onto the skirt of your dress.  

 

"You two are too smart," you smile at them as you open the door to the office.  But the rules go right out the window the second Pat spots you three from a few feet away.

 

"Hey! The Teague ladies are here!" He smiles big. 

 

"Uncle Pat!" the girls let go and run over to him. All you can do is shake your head with a small laugh as Pat crouches down and puts his hands up for high fives.  

 

When you hear someone greet you, you turn to see Hal.  Giving him a hug, you then call the girls to have them say hi. 

 

"Hi Poppa Hal!" 

 

Hal's face comically drops, "How come I'm Poppa and he's Uncle?" pointing to Pat. 

 

"You're old," Anna states like it's obvious. 

 

"Anna!" you quietly hiss, but Pat's laughing. 

 

"What? Hal knows he's old, she's not wrong," Pat tells you.  

 

You cover your mouth to hide your amusement. 

 

"You know when a child calls you old, you're old," Hal shakes his head.  

 

"Poppa Hal, you have candy?" Elizabeth asks sweetly. 

 

"How can I say no to these faces? Come on, I think Jack has some,"  Hal leads the girls to the other side of the room.

 

Looking to Pat, "I'm looking for my boxer of a husband." 

 

"Ah," and Pat shadow boxes quick, "The heavyweight champ of the group," then he laughs and has you follow him down the hall, "He's cleaning himself up in the bathroom."  

 

When he motions to the men's bathroom door, you hesitate. 

 

"You can go ahead, no one's in there with him and I'll keep everyone out til he's done." 

 

"Thanks Pat."

 

Pushing the door open, you spot Joe at one of the sinks, "Detective Teague, what am I going to do with you?" 

 

At your voice, Joe turns with a smirk on his bloodied face, "Marry me, I hope." 

 

"I already did that," you gently laugh as you walk over to him, holding out the paper bag. 

 

Without looking away from you, he takes the bag and places it on the counter next to the sink, then wraps his arms around you, "Then grow old with me." 

 

"I'd love to," you bring your hands close to his cheeks when he tenderly wraps his hands around your wrists to stop you. 

 

"You shouldn't get blood on your hands." 

 

You just raise a brow at him, "I've dealt with your bloody faces before, I'm not going to be stopping now." 

 

Joe huffs out a laugh before rubbing his thumbs along the inside of your wrists before letting them go to let you take his face in your hands.  

 

He watches your face as your eyes roam along the minor scratches and bruising to his.  

 

"You look tired," he softly comments. 

 

"Just what a woman loves to hear," your eyes glance at his before looking more closely at a deeper cut above his brow. 

 

"If you think I mean you're any less beautiful when you're tired, you're crazy," and he surprises you when he lifts you up by your waist and seats you on the edge of the bathroom's counter.  

 

You just look at him with a gentle smile, and Joe brushes his thumb across your chin. 

 

"The girls were fighting all morning," and Joe stands right between your legs, his hands smoothing up and down your skirt covered thighs, "Elizabeth stole the green crayon so Anna hid one of her stuffed bunnies." 

 

"Uh oh. Fred or Pinky?" 

 

"Pinky," you look at him with a tender smirk; such a hard ass detective but he knows the names of his daughter's dolls. 

 

"Oh man, the leader of her stuffed animal pack.  Anna plays tough," Joe fights back a smile. 

 

Picking up the still damp cloth next to you, you start gently wiping the remaining blood off of your husband's handsome face. 

 

"Apparently," and when you wipe the last smear of blood from his skin, you say "There." 

 

Looking inside the first aid kit he already has out, you grab a butterfly closure bandage and apply it to the cut above his brow.  Then you look at the cut on the bridge of his nose, "They always have to get your nose," you shake your head as you run a fingertip next to the cut. 

 

"Kind of hard to miss, don't you think?" ragging on his own self proclaimed big nose. 

 

"I'd miss it," and you say it as if it were to disappear, your lame attempt at a joke.

 

The pointed look Joe gives you makes you laugh because you knew it was silly, but a smile breaks open on his face and he laughs too. 

 

As you grasp his face again, he asks amusingly, "Yeah, you would?" just as you place a kiss on his bumpy nose.  But he knows you love it. 

 

"So much," you kiss him. 

 

When you pull away, you undo the knot of his tie, "Last time you never mentioned the blood on your tie, so I just assumed this time," because this wasn't the first time you had to bring him a clean shirt. And as you suspected, he had drops of blood on his tie too.   

 

Joe just grins at how well you know him, at how great you two are together. 

 

As you pull the tie out from under his collar, he places both hands on your bump, "Our smallest Teague treating you okay today?" and he leans down to press a kiss to your stomach. 

 

Smiling, you run your hand over his hair before he straightens back up, "So far so good. He was kicking a lot this morning," you smile and place your hand over one of his. 

 

He looks at you with a grin, "Can't believe you still think it's a boy." 

 

"Hey," you laugh, "I still think I'm carrying differently this time," you try to defend yourself. 

 

Joe moves his hands to your face and kisses you with a smile, "As someone who stares at your body enough for the both of us, I can tell you you aren't.  That baby is most definitely a girl." 

 

His words make you blush but smile even though you playfully smack his arm for the comment.  

 

"Besides," he continues, "You also thought Anna was gonna be a boy," he chuckles when you go to say something but close your mouth at that. 

 

"Can't forget that, can you?" you smirk, "At least I was right with Elizabeth." 

 

It makes Joe smile as he starts unbuttoning his shirt.  

 

"Would you be alright with having three girls?" you watch his hands as he goes to each button.  It's not a real question because you know Joe would love his children no matter what you both ended up with.

 

But when you ask, your eyes flicker to his face that's looking down at his shirt and the softest grin appears on his face before he looks up at you, "Three little sweethearts instead of two?  Yeah, yeah I'd be alright," he softly teases. 

 

He pulls the hem of his shirt out of his waistband and you watch with a heated face as he pulls the fabric off each muscled shoulder.  When he balls it up and tosses it on the counter, you grab his belt and pull him close to you again. 

 

Large hands slide under your skirt and along your thighs as you bring your arms around his neck, "We're so lucky to have you." 

 

"You reading my mind? 'Cause I was just thinking that about you," his voice soft as he presses a light kiss to the corner of your mouth. 

 

A loving kiss is shared between you both, "I better get back to those cute kids out there.  Let them know you're a little banged up before they see you."

 

Joe kisses you again, "Yeah, probably a good idea," but his lips are back on yours for one last kiss before he finally lets you go. 

 

He scoops you up from the counter before gently standing you back up on your feet.  One last quick kiss then you're walking out of the bathroom as Joe puts on his clean shirt and tie. 

 

You find the girls in Hal's office drawing with some crayons he keeps in his desk especially for any little visitors like themselves.  After thanking Hal for watching over them, you take their hands and head into Joe's office to wait for him.  

 

"Girls, come here for a second," and they stop roaming around the office to come over to you.  

 

"You know how sometimes Daddy comes home with some booboos on his face?" 

 

And both little girls nod.  

 

"Well, he has some again, but he's okay.  But don't be scared because your Daddy is big and tough and he's more than okay.  Alright?" 

 

"Does he need a band-aid?" Anna asks. 

 

It makes you smile, "He has a few tiny band-aids on his face already, but that's so sweet of you to ask, honey." 

 

Just as you say that, Joe walks into the room.  His poor face has bruises on both sides and there's a small spot of dried blood in his stubble.  None of it stops him from smiling at the sight of his family. 

 

"There's my girls," and he crouches down with his arms open.  

 

Elizabeth runs into his arms, but Anna approaches him slow. 

 

With an arm hugging his youngest, he notices Anna's hesitancy, "Sweetheart, I'm okay, promise."

 

Anna moves into his open arm and hugs his neck.

 

"That's my girl," he mutters into her hair as he hugs her back. 

 

When he stands up, he's got both in his arms and walks over to his desk where you're standing. 

 

"Baby, sit down.  No need for you to be standing if you don't have to," he gently instructs. 

 

You sit down in his chair as he places your two children on the edge of his desk.  

 

"Daddy, I kiss your booboos?" Elizabeth asks.  

 

"That's really the only thing that will help," he smirks, then looks at Anna and gently pokes her belly, "But I need you to kiss them too because it only helps if you both do it." 

 

His oldest nods with determination and when Joe leans down to bring his face close to theirs, both girls lightly press a kiss to his bruised cheeks.  

 

"You two are the best, thank you. They're starting to feel better already," he smiles and touches their chins which brings proud smiles to both their faces. 

 

"Mommy, you too!" Anna says like it's important because otherwise Joe's face won't feel better more. 

 

And Joe looks at you with warm smile, "Yeah, Mommy, you too," and he crouches down in front of you, hands smoothing down your crossed over legs as he smirks. 

 

Raising your brow at the look he has, only to laugh softly, you gently take his face in your hands and lightly press a kiss to the bruise on his cheekbone on the right side, then one to bandaged cut above his left brow.  Joe watches your face with love in his eyes and when you pull back to look at him, he turns his face to kiss your palm.  

 

"One more for good luck," you smirk, "Three seems to be our lucky number," referring to your children, and you kiss him softly on the lips, keeping it brief due to your young audience. 

 

"Thank you, baby," he whispers affectionately. 

 

A gentle squeeze and he stands back up.  With a playful smile on his face, he looks at his daughters.

 

"How about tomorrow I take you munchkins out for a day of fun, just you and me?"  

 

The girls are obviously excited, but you're confused because Joe works tomorrow and also because where do you fit into this day?

 

"Daddy can we go to the park?"

"Can we get toys?"

"I wanna get ice pream!" 

"I wanna get candy!"

 

"Whatever you girls want to do, we'll try to fit in, okay?" then he steps close to them and flexes his arms in front of them.  The girls know to each grab onto a bicep and he lifts them up off the desk, then steps back to lean forward until their little feet touch the ground.  Running his hands over their heads, the girls excitedly talk to each other about what they should do tomorrow.

 

Joe hears you stand up and turns to you. 

 

"I thought you were working tomorrow?"

 

"I was, but I'm gonna ask Hal to be off."

 

"I hate to sound like a child, but what about me?" you give a small grin. 

 

With that question, Joe's arms move around your waist and you slide your hands along his broad shoulders before sliding them to the sides of his neck. 

 

Joe tilts his head to place a kiss on your cheek, "You are going to have a quiet house all to yourself so you can relax as long as you want.  No fighting, no screaming, just you and that little babe you're growing."

 

A soft smile takes over your face as you listen to him.  

 

"Though I do have one thing planned for you," and the slight pull of the corner of his mouth makes your knees weak. 

 

Playing along, you ask, "And what would that be Detective?" 

 

But first his lips graze your jaw as he kisses in front of your ear.  Then he answers low, "Getting between those legs and making sure you get our lucky number's worth of pleasure."  Then a hand at your lower back slides down to give a gentle quick squeeze of your rear. 

 

The soft grit of his voice paired with his strong arms around you are enough to make you press your body against his, but then when he says things like that, you can't help but whimper his name in arousal.  And when you do it right by his ear, a rumble from his throat greets you.  

 

Both of you pull back enough to look at one another, his eyes darker than before, but you both wake up out of the sexy haze you're in when Elizabeth whines to you both that she's hungry.  

 

A clear of his throat and you separate from each other a bit, Joe's arm slung around your waist. 

 

He makes a show of checking his watch, then looks at his little girls with a smile, "Well, I'm on lunch now.  So how about chicken fingers and soda at the diner?" 

 

Anna frowns a bit, "Daddy, can I get a grilled cheese?"

 

Joe grins, "I think we can make that happen."

 

Anna smiles and together with her sister, they race out the door ahead of you two.  

 

Joe catches a smirk on your face and he gives your hip a squeeze, with a grin he catches your eye and raises a brow in question. 

 

"Was just thinking, that what I really want isn't on the menu," you run your hand down his tie. 

 

Your words make him step in in front of you and wrap his arms around you, kissing you softly, "You sure about that though?  Pretty sure a hot cup of Joe  _is_  on their menu."

 

The second you roll your eyes and let out a small groan at his lame joke, Joe's laughing as he kisses your neck.  It only makes you laugh in return and you take his face in your hands, "I can't even believe you just said that," giving him a kiss before he can respond. 

 

And just like that, Joe bends down and scoops you up into his arms," Ah, you loved it," he grins as you wrap your arms around his neck.

 

"You're lucky I love you," you tease, a light kiss pressed to his cheek.

 

"Don't I know it," he looks at you with the sweetest smile. 


End file.
